U.S. patent number 7,088,341 [Application Number 10/402,877] was granted by the patent office on 2006-08-08 for system and method for inputting special characters.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Microsoft Corporation. Invention is credited to Maurizio Cibelli, Jason William Fuller, Zeke Koch.
United States Patent |
7,088,341 |
Koch , et al. |
August 8, 2006 |
System and method for inputting special characters
Abstract
This invention provides a system and method for a user of a
mobile computing device to input special characters using a
modifier key on a keyboard. The special characters include accented
characters associated with regular characters. In one aspect, a
computer-implemented method for configuring a mobile computing
device for a user to enter special characters is provided. The
computer-implemented method includes inputting a regular character
in response to a user pressing a key associated with the regular
character. After the regular character has been inputted, the user
may input a special character by pressing a modifier key. A special
character associated with the regular character is determined in
response to the user pressing the modifier key. The special
character may be determined based on the number of times that the
user has pressed the modifier key. The inputted regular character
is then modified to the special character.
Inventors: |
Koch; Zeke (Seattle, WA),
Cibelli; Maurizio (Seattle, WA), Fuller; Jason William
(Bellevue, WA) |
Assignee: |
Microsoft Corporation (Redmond,
WA)
|
Family
ID: |
32096002 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/402,877 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2003 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20040075648 A1 |
Apr 22, 2004 |
|
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
60420312 |
Oct 21, 2002 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/169; 345/171;
341/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
3/0236 (20130101); G06F 3/0219 (20130101); G06F
3/0233 (20130101); H04M 2250/70 (20130101); H04M
1/72436 (20210101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09G
5/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;345/169,171-172
;341/22-23 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Chok-Ho Ip, Daniel M. Berry and Kam Pui Chow; "CWPR, A
Chinese/Japanese Word-Processing System for Use with the Unix.TM.
Device-Independent TROFF System"; The Second International
Conference on Computers and Applications, Beijing (Peking), Peoples
Republic of China, Jun. 23-27, 1987; pp. 570-577. cited by
other.
|
Primary Examiner: Hjerpe; Richard
Assistant Examiner: Fatahiyar; M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merchant & Gould P.C.
Parent Case Text
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
No. 60/420,312, filed on Oct. 21, 2002.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a mobile computing
device having an input component with keys, the
computer-implemented method comprising: inputting a regular
character generated in response to one of the keys being pressed,
the key being associated with the regular character; displaying the
regular character; selectively determining a special character from
a set of at least three special characters in response to a number
of times a modifier key being pressed after the regular character
has been inputted, the modifier key is one of the keys of the input
component; and modifying the inputted regular character to the
special character.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the special
character is an accented character associated with the inputted
regular character.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining
the special character comprises changing the special character each
time the modifier key is pressed.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
in response to determining the special character, displaying the
special character on a display screen.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining
the special character includes determining a character proximate to
a cursor as the inputted regular character.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining
the special character is performed by referring to a special
character table.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the special
character table includes entries indexed by regular characters and
wherein at least one of the entries includes the special character
indexed by the inputted regular character.
8. A method for inputting data into a computing device comprising:
determining a special character; inputting and displaying a regular
character by pressing a key on a keyboard, the key being associated
with the regular character; and modifying the inputted regular
character to the special character by selectively determining the
special character from a set of at least three special characters
in response to a number of times a modifier key is pressed after
the regular character has been inputted.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the special character is an
accented character associated with the inputted regular
character.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the inputted regular
character includes repeatedly pressing the modifier key until the
inputted regular character is modified to the special character;
wherein each press of the modifier key changes the special
character.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the inputted regular
character is performed immediately after inputting the regular
character.
12. The method of claim 8, further comprising moving a cursor to a
location proximate to the inputted regular character before
modifying the inputted regular character.
13. A computer-readable medium encoded with a data structure
comprising: a first data field containing regular character
identifiers, each regular character identifier identifying a
regular character that corresponds to an input responsive to
pressing a key on a keyboard; and a second data field containing
entries, each entry being indexed to one of the regular character
identified in the first data field, at least one of the entries
including a special character identifier that identifies a special
character from a set at least three special characters that
corresponds to another input responsive to pressing a modifier key
on the keyboard after pressing the key.
14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the special
character identified by the special character identifier in the
second data field is an accented character associated with the
regular character identified by the regular character in the first
data field.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one
of the entries in the second data field contains at least two
special character identifiers that wherein the order of the special
character identifiers in the entry corresponds to the number of
presses on the modifier key.
16. A computing device comprising: a display; a keyboard having
keys associated with regular characters and a modifier key; and a
memory encoded with a character input engine configured to respond
to one of the keys being pressed by inputting the regular character
associated with the key and that is configured to display the
regular character on the display, the character input engine being
further configured to respond to the modifier key being pressed
after the regular character has been input by selectively
determining a special character from a set of at least three
special characters in response to a number of times a modifier key
is pressed after the regular character has been inputted and
modifying the inputted regular character to the special character
and displaying the special character in place of the regular
character.
17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the special character
is an accented character of the special character.
18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory is further
encoded with an operating system and wherein the character input
engine is a component of the operating system.
19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory is further
encoded with an application and wherein the character input engine
is a component of the application.
20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory is further
encoded with a special character table that associates regular
characters with special characters and wherein the character input
engine is configured to determining the special character by
referring to the special character table.
21. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the computing device
is a mobile computing device.
22. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the computing device
is a portable communication device.
23. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the keyboard is a
compact keyboard.
24. A mobile computing device configured to enable a user to input
a special character related to a regular character by performing
steps comprising: inputting the regular character by pressing a key
on a keyboard configured on the mobile computing device, the key
being associated with the regular character; displaying the regular
character; and selectively determining a special character from a
set of at least three special characters in response to a number of
times a modifier key is pressed after the regular character has
been inputted by pressing a modifier key on the keyboard after the
regular character has been input.
25. The mobile computing device of claim 24, wherein the special
character is an accented character associated with the regular
character.
26. The mobile computing device of claim 24, wherein modifying the
regular character includes repeatedly pressing the modifier key
until the regular character is modified to the special character
wherein each press of the modifier key changes the special
character.
27. A mobile computing device comprising: means for a user to input
a regular character; means for displaying the regular character;
means for the user to selectively determining the special character
from a set of at least three special characters in response to a
number of times a modifier key is pressed after the regular
character has been inputted; and means for inputting the special
character.
28. The mobile computing device of claim 27, further comprising:
means far displaying the special character when the user is
selecting the special character.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mobile computing devices are becoming increasing popular for both
business users and casual users. Many of these mobile computing
devices can rival desktop computers in capabilities and computing
power. However, because of the emphasis on mobility, mobile
computing devices generally do not include a full size keyboard for
inputting text. Although some existing mobile computing devices
include a miniature keyboard for entering text, this kind of
miniature keyboard only has a limited number of keys that are
barely adequate for entering the letters of the alphabet. To enter
special characters such as symbols, accented characters,
punctuation marks, and the like, existing mobile computing devices
typically require a user to perform non-intuitive and cumbersome
steps. An efficient and intuitive system and method that enable a
user to input special characters in a mobile computing device
continue to elude those skilled in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, this invention enables a user of a mobile computing
device to input special characters using a modifier key on a
keyboard. The special characters include accented characters
associated with regular characters. In one aspect, the invention is
directed to a computer-implemented method for configuring a mobile
computing device for a user to enter special characters. The
computer-implemented method includes inputting a regular character
in response to a user pressing a key associated with the regular
character. After the regular character has been inputted, the user
may input a special character by pressing a modifier key. A special
character associated with the regular character is determined in
response to the user pressing the modifier key. The special
character may be determined based on the number of times that the
user has pressed the modifier key. The inputted regular character
is then modified to the special character.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a special character
table used by a mobile computing device for determining a special
character. The special character table includes a first and second
data fields. The first data field contains regular character
identifiers. Each regular character identifier identifies a regular
character that corresponds to an input responsive to pressing a key
on a keyboard. The second data field contains entries. Each entry
is indexed to a regular character identified in the first data
field. Each entry includes a special character identifier that
identifies a special character that corresponds to another input
responsive to pressing a modifier key on the keyboard.
In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a computing
device that includes a keyboard and a memory. The keyboard has keys
associated with regular characters and a modifier key. The memory
is encoded with a character input engine configured to input a
regular character when a key is pressed. The character input engine
is also configured to determine a special character when the
modifier key is pressed and modifying the inputted regular
character to the special character
In still another aspect, the invention is directed to a mobile
computing device configured to enable a user to input a special
character related to a regular character. The steps performed by
the user to input the special character include inputting the
regular character by pressing a key associated with the regular
character and modifying the regular character to the special
character by pressing a modifier key.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary mobile computing device that may be
used in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows mobile computing device 100 in FIG. 1 in more
detail.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a character inputting system.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary process that may be used by a user to input
a special character.
FIG. 5 is another exemplary process that may be used by a user to
input a special character.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary process that may be used by a character
input engine to return a special character.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The inventors of the present invention have determined that a
mobile computing device that enables a user to input special
characters in an efficient and intuitive manner will significantly
enhance the user experience. The inventors have also appreciated a
computing device that enables a wide range of special characters to
be quickly entered will considerably broaden the types of
applications that can be executed on the device and the types of
languages that are supported by the applications. Thus, the present
invention focuses on a system and method for inputting special
characters in a mobile computing device using a modifier key. The
manner in which special characters are inputted in accordance with
the present invention is very different from conventional methods.
To input special characters on some mobile computing devices, users
are required to use a special menu on a user-interface. This method
of inputting special characters is time-consuming for the users and
resource intensive for the mobile computing device. Other mobile
computing devices require users to press multiple keys at the same
time to enter a special character. Pressing multiple keys is often
difficult for users to perform, especially on a small keyboard
found on many mobile computing devices. Also, the use of key press
combinations can only support a limited number of special
characters and require users to remember those combinations in
order to use them efficiently.
In contrast, the present invention provides a more user-friendly
approach. The present invention provides an intuitive and efficient
system and method for inputting special characters using a modifier
key on a keyboard. Special characters may be selected and inputted
by pressing the modifier key one or more times. The present
invention enables a user to quickly enter special characters in a
mobile computing device without undue effort and training. These
and other aspects of the invention will become apparent after
reading the following detailed description.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary mobile computing device that may be
used in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. With
reference to FIG. 1, one exemplary system for implementing the
invention includes a mobile computing device, such as mobile
computing device 100. It is to be understood that many different
kinds of mobile computing devices may implement this invention.
These mobile computing devices include personal digital assistants,
communication devices such as wireless phones and portable
communication devices, portable video gaming units, and the like.
For illustrative purposes, a general mobile computing device 100
will be described. A mobile computing device that is capable of
implementing this invention may have more, less, or different
components as those shown in FIG. 1.
Mobile computing device 100 may include various hardware
components. In a very basic configuration, mobile computing device
100 typically includes a central processing unit 102 and system
memory 104. Depending on the exact configuration and type of mobile
computing device, system memory 104 may include volatile memory,
non-volatile memory, data storage devices, or the like. These
examples of system memory 104 are all considered computer storage
media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM,
ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,
digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the
desired information and which can be accessed by mobile computing
device 100. Any such computer storage media may be part of device
100.
Mobile computing device 100 may contain output component 114 for
displaying data to users. Mobile computing device 100 may also
contain input component 112 for inputting characters. In
particular, input component 112 may include a compact keyboard.
Compact keyboard will be discussed in more detail in conjunction
with FIG. 2. Briefly stated, a compact keyboard is a key-based
input component that is designed for mobile computing devices.
Mobile computing device 100 may also contain communication
connections 116 that allow the device to communicate with other
mobile computing devices over network 120, such as a wireless
network, local area network, wide area network such as the
Internet, and other communication networks. Communication
connections 116 is one example of communication media.
Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a
modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term
"modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its
characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or
direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,
infrared and other wireless media. The term computer readable media
as used herein includes both storage media and communication
media.
Software components of mobile computing device 100 are typically
stored in system memory 104. System memory 104 typically includes
an operating system 105, one or more applications 106, and data
107. As shown in the figure, system memory 104 may also include a
character input engine 108. Character input engine 108 is a
software component that handles character input for mobile
computing device 100. It may be incorporated into the operating
system 105 or applications 106, or it may be a stand-alone
component. Character input engine 108 is configured to enable a
user to input special characters using a compact keyboard. Special
characters may include symbols, accented characters, punctuation
marks, numbers, and the like.
FIG. 2 shows mobile computing device 100 in FIG. 1 in more detail.
As shown in the figure, mobile computing device 100 includes a
display screen 220 and a compact keyboard 230. Compact keyboard 230
includes any key-based input component that can provide an input
signal associated with a character to mobile computing device 100
in response to a key press. Display screen 220 includes any
component for displaying information for mobile computing device
100. Display screen 220 shows that a messaging application is
executing on mobile computing device 100. A user is composing a
message in French by inputting each character of the message. The
user may input regular characters by pressing one of the keys on
compact keyboard 230. However, to compose the message properly in
French, the user is required to input a special character, which is
the accented "e". Compact keyboard 230, because of its small size,
does not have a key designated for inputting "e" or other special
characters with only one key press.
The present invention enables the user to input special characters
by using modifier key 235. The user may enter a special character
by scrolling through a set of special characters that are
associated with a regular character. The user may modify a regular
character to a special character by pressing the modifier key while
the regular character is in close proximity with an insertion point
(e.g. a cursor). For example, a regular character may be modified
immediately after the regular character was inputted because the
regular character is next to the insertion point. The regular
character may also be modified even after other characters were
input. For example, the user may move the insertion point next to
the regular character and press the modifier key.
The user may modify a regular character to a desired special
character by pressing the modifier key one or more times until the
desired special character appears on the display. When the user
presses the modifier key, a character input engine executing on
mobile computing device 100 determines which of the special
characters associated with the regular character should be
inputted. Character input engine will be discussed in detail in
conjunction with FIG. 3. Briefly stated, the character input engine
determines which of the special characters associated with the
regular character should be inputted by accessing a special
character table.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a character inputting system.
Illustrated is a character input engine 108 that enables a user to
input special characters using a compact keyboard 230. Data are
generated in response to pressing keys on compact keyboard 230. The
data include regular character identifiers and modifier key press
identifiers. Character input engine 108 is configured to receive
data generated by key presses on compact keyboard 230. Character
input engine 108 may receive a regular character identifier that is
generated when a key associated with the regular character on the
compact keyboard is pressed. Character input engine 108 may also
receive a modifier key press identifier that is generated when a
modifier key on the compact keyboard is pressed. The modifier key
press identifier identifies how many times the modifier key was
pressed. Based on the regular character identifier and the modifier
key press identifier, the character input engine may determine a
special character identifier by accessing a special character table
310.
Special character table 310 is a table indexed by regular character
identifiers. Each of the regular character identifiers may be
associated with a special character matrix. A special character
matrix may include one or more special characters associated with
the indexing regular character identifier. The order of the special
characters in the special character matrix corresponds to the
modifier key press identifier (i.e. the number of times that the
modifier key was pressed).
In operation, character input engine 108 may use the regular
character identifier to locate a particular entry in the table
where the regular character identifier is the index of the entry.
Character input engine 108 may determine a special character
identifier in the special character matrix that corresponds to the
modifier key press identifier. For example, if the modifier key
press identifier is 2 (i.e. the modifier key was pressed twice),
the special character determined by character input engine 108 from
exemplary entry 315 would be "a", which is the second character
identifier in the matrix. After character input engine 108
determined a special character identifier, the special character
identifier may be provided to applications 106. The special
character identifier may also be displayed so the user knows which
special character is being inputted. For example, in response to a
modifier key press, the character input engine 108 may be
configured to display the special character that corresponds to the
modifier key press.
Below are other exemplary identifiers that may be used:
TABLE-US-00001 Identifiers Comments lastChar The regular character
near the insertion point Symbol[i][j] Given a letter "i", and a
number "j", special character [i][j] is the jth special character
associated with a letter "i" max(i) The number of entries for a
given row "i" seq_index A zero-based index in a sequence of
modifier key presses. It determines how many times the modifier key
has been pressed. RKS Reset keys set. When the modifier key is
pressed, the lastChar is replaced (in place) with the first
associated special character in the list. If the modifier is
pressed again, the last char is replaced with the second special
character and so on. The reset keys reset this sequence. E.g. RKS =
{space, backspace, tab, enter, arrow keys}
FIG. 4 is an exemplary process 400 that may be used by a user to
input a special character. Moving from a start block, process 400
moves to block 410 where an input cursor is placed proximate to a
character. The character may be a regular character or a special
character. At block 415, the user may cycle through special
characters associated with the character indicated by an input
cursor. The user may press the modifier key on a compact keyboard
until a desire special character appears. At block 420, the desire
special character is inputted, which may be performed many
different ways. For example, the special character may be inputted
after a predetermined interval. The special character may also be
input by pressing an input key. FIG. 5 is another exemplary process
500 that may be used by a user to input a special character.
Process 500 is similar to process 400. Process 500 enables a user
to input a special character immediate after a regular character
has been entered without movement of the input cursor.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary process 600 that may be used by a character
input engine to return a special character. Moving from a start
block, process 600 moves to block 610 where a character key press
is determined. At block 615, the number of times the modifier key
was pressed is determined. At block 620, a special character is
determined based of the character key press and the number of times
the modifier key was pressed. At block 625, the determined special
character is returned.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete
description of the invention. Since many embodiments of the
invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter
appended.
* * * * *